LETTERS LOOSE CATS HURT WILD BIRDS, OTHERS.This week, I witnessed my neighbor's cat tearing apart a beautiful scrub jay, abandoning baby birds in their nest. There is no reason why this should continue. I hope this letter encourages people to keep their cat indoors. The overpopulation overpopulation Situation in which the number of individuals of a given species exceeds the number that its environment can sustain. Possible consequences are environmental deterioration, impaired quality of life, and a population crash (sudden reduction in numbers caused by of free-roaming cats is a human-caused problem which affects the health and well-being of cats and our native wildlife. Solutions to this problem must protect cats, wildlife and people. Whether owned, stray or truly feral, cats are domestic animals and are not native to North America. Outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of millions of wild birds and other animals each year in the U.S., including endangered species. Birds that nest or feed on the ground are especially vulnerable. Free roaming cats are in constant danger from being hit by cars, contracting diseases and parasites, or being attacked by other animals or people. Cats can transmit diseases to humans such as rabies, toxoplasmosis Toxoplasmosis Definition Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the one-celled protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Although most individuals do not experience any symptoms, the disease can be very serious, and even fatal, in and cat scratch fever For other uses, see Catscratch and Cat Scratch Fever. Cat scratch fever is a usually benign infectious disease caused by the intracellular parasite Bartonella. It is most commonly found in children 1-2 weeks following a cat scratch. . In the U.S., cats are the top carrier of rabies in domestic animals. Through the Cats Indoors campaign, the American Bird Conservancy American Bird Conservancy, commonly abbreviated ABC, is a charitable organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. After ABC threatened to sue the U.S. and its partners, including the Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a Washington, D.C-based animal welfare advocacy group. It is the largest animal welfare organization in the world, with nearly 10 million members and a 2006 budget of US$103 million. and American Humane Association, encourage people to keep their cats indoors, train them to go outside on a harness and leash, or build outdoor cat enclosure. Cats should be spayed or neutered neu·ter adj. 1. Grammar a. Neither masculine nor feminine in gender. b. Neither active nor passive; intransitive. Used of verbs. 2. a. before they can produce an unwanted litter and should never be abandoned because it is illegal and cruel to cats, birds and other wildlife. Many materials, including brochures, posters, fact sheets, a teacher's activity guide, slide shows and public service announcements are available from the American Bird Conservancy Web site at www.abcbirds.org/cats/catsindoors. Make your community safe for cats and birds. Keep your cat indoors. - Teresa Savaikie Santa Clarita |
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